Fun Facts About Medieval Instruments

By Douglas Etri


Got nothing to do? I can count a lot of fun things to do this vacation. Trouble is, most of us would often favor to lie or sit in front of the television and watch TV shows that have different titles but all looks same. It would actually do us greater good to think about other fascinating things that will make our free hours worth enjoying. Why not try to learn some things about unique medieval instruments?

You might exclaim that these medieval instruments are of no way interesting herein this day and times. The fact that they seem to be a group of obsolescent, outclassed and forgotten musical instruments make you think they are, and in no other way, going to be popular. Alas, you may want to rethink this thought again because this is completely false. You could be surprised to know that even your preschool and elementary music room has medieval instruments in it. The tambourine for instance, or the cymbals. Or even the fiddle which is just about always present on medieval-themed films.

Learning how to play these old-timer musical instruments would also be more enjoyable if you can learn some little-known tidbits about the dark ages. This would not only increase your understanding regarding the medieval history, but to allow the natural curiosity of the Dark ages to grow inside you. Through this, music appreciation and the advocacy to spread the magic of the medieval music even to these modern times will be realized.

Fun tidbit number one: Did you know that the human voice is recognized to be the oldest medieval musical instrument in musical history? This would be due to the fact that our forefather did not have the time for merriment, as they were busy tending to their lands. Hence there was no need for music. Some historians credit the deep baritones of the Christians monks in popularizing hymns and chants spreading all the way through the lands of Christian Europe, Asia and North Africa. And as a consequence we now have Gregorian chants to live by.

Interesting fact number two: Who do we owe the romantic ballads and tales of gallantry to? The answer: to the troubadours and the minstrels. The troubadours are well-known to perform Occitan lyric poetry. Their female counterparts are called trobairitz. The minstrels on the other hand are performers on the court or palaces. Their tongues are the bearer of spellbinding tales about dragons, knights and courtly love, which might have happened in real life or just pure imagination.

Interesting fact number three: The oldest church organ is said to be used to as back as the 8th century. Just think about this fact: without these trailblazers that we call medieval instruments, we will not have classical music, then modern music afterwards that we enjoy at the moment. Paying tribute to these "pioneers" need not only command our devote understanding, but in making sure they will last through time as well. So if you are interested in learning how to play one of these instruments, you can opt to buy them online or from a novelty shop.




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